In early 1992, Rockwood School District determined the necessity of constructing two new high schools to serve an expanding population. After voting to build the schools in March 1992, the Rockwood Board of Education unanimously voted to name the new southeast high school as Rockwood Summit High School. In May 1992, the board named Tom Hensley as the first principal of the school, and construction began that summer according to designs by the William B. Ittner architectural firm. Rock blasting was required to construct the building, which increased the cost by $207,000. The original estimate for the building was $17 million; the total cost of the building upon completion was $22.7 million, although the school was built with a combined cafeteria and theater to save $2.5 million. Among the $22.7 million cost of the building, costs for the pool facilities were $400,000, roofing and sheet metal were $780,000, masonry was $995,000, and data and voice networks were $200,000. When built, Summit featured a two-story commons and atrium, 77 classrooms, several computer labs, and art, music and theater facilities. The school opened on September 7, 1993, on the same day as Marquette High School, which was the first time that a school district in the St. Louis area had opened two new high schools on the same day. It opened with 635 9th and 10th grade students. In 1998, Summit's first principal, Tom Hensley, retired after 26 years in the district; his replacement, Larry Berneking, transferred from Eureka High School. In 1999, the school became the first in the St. Louis area to sponsor an equestrian club; in its first year, the club started with a dozen members and offered a variety of activities to learn about horseback riding. Within five years of its opening, the school district received approval for a bond issue to provide an auditorium and additional classrooms at Summit during the 1998-1999 school year. According to a construction manager, the Summit addition included 34,000 square feet of new space for $2.7 million, and its auditorium was completed during the winter of 1999. As with the original building, the plans for the addition were completed by William B. Ittner, Inc., and the new auditorium and office space created a courtyard in front of the school. Summit also gained 120 parking spaces. During the expansion, five boys from the nearby middle school vandalised the building, destroying drywall, throwing equipment into an orchestra pit, and pouring roofing glue on plumbing. The vandalism delayed the opening of the new wing by two weeks. An additional five years later, in 2003, the parking lots and gymnasium floor were replaced at a cost of roughly $1.3 million. In early 2003, a group of conservative students began publishing an underground newspaper after they felt that the school newspaper was unresponsive to their needs. The underground paper courted controversy when it published stories arguing in favor of an immediate invasion of Iraq, against the desegregation program, and a comparison of abortion with the Holocaust. The abortion story also included "graphic photos of dismembered babies", and one student told the story's author that the photographs were "disgusting" given that the paper was distributed during lunch. The newspaper also was published online. In 2007, a bomb threat resulted in cancelled classes, while in 2008, vandalism led administrators to cancel the homecoming dance.
Recognitions and achievements
Summit was named by Newsweek magazine as one of America's top public high schools in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011. Social studies teacher Jamie Manker was crowned "Missouri Teacher of the Year" for 2014. The RSHS newspaper has received the George H. Gallup Award seven times. The Yearbook has received the National Scholastic Press AssociationAll American Award six times.
Enrollment and Demographics
As of the 20182019 school year, Rockwood Summit has an enrollment of about 1,298 students.
Current status
As of the 2018-2019 school year, Summit operates on an 8:28 am to 3:17 pm schedule. Serving since 2018, its principal is Emily McCown. The school song is as follows:
